Automatic elevator control



Dec. 20 1927.

M. C. NELSON AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR CONTROL 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Dec. 10.1925 TIE; Z

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Dem 20 1927.

1,653,306 M C NELSON AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR CONTROL Filed Dec. 10, 1925 3Sheets-Sheet I5 INVENTOR.

M ATTORNEY.

Patented Dec. 20, 1927.

UNITED STATES T OFFICE.

PATEN MORRIS C. NELSON, OF ROCK ISLAND, ILLINOIS.

AUTOMATIC ELEVATOR CONTROL.

Application filed December 10, 1925. Serial No. 74,635.

tor of the elevator to select the floor at which he wishes the ear tostop, and set the mechanism accordingly, so as to have the car stop atthe desired point, without further attention on his part. This isaccomplished by means of a series of conductors, one for each floor atwhich the elevator is to stop, through which conductors circuits may beformed by apparatus carried by the elevator, such conductors beingprovided with breaks, or gaps at the various floors, resulting in abreak in the circuit, and consequent stoppage of the car.

In connection with said apparatus is employed a brake operating device,of a common type, which is automatically operated to cause an instantstoppage of the elevator. coincidently with the interruption of thcurrent through the conductor.

In the drawings 2- Fig. 1 is a vertical section, showing a fragmentarypart of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged detail of one of the contact devices.

Fig. 3 is a vertical section through. the panel 30.

Fig. 4 is a diagrammatical view of a series of conductors, or rails,such as is used in the invention.

Fig. 5 is a detail of the panel 26, from the front thereof.

Fig. 6 is a front view of the panel 30 detached.

Fig. 7 is a diagrammatic View of the invention, including the wiringsystem therefor.

The showing in Fig. 4 is for use in a building having eight floors forelevator stops, and said floors are numbered upwardly from 1 to 8,inclusive. In Fig. 1 the numeral 11 indicates the front wall of anelevator shaft, 12 the rear wall, and 13 the elevator movable verticallyof said shaft, and supported by a cable 14, passing over a pair ofpulleys 15 on a support 16, said cable extending downwardly to adru1n'17 at the bottom of the shaft, upon which the cable is wound.Connected with the drum 17 is a brake-drum 18, encircled by a band 19,operable by an electrically controlled device at 20, in circuit with amotor 21, by which the drum 17 is driven. The motor 21 is connected witha source of electrical power, shown at 22, by means of a wire 22.

' Secured to the wall of the shaft in rear of the elevator is a seriesof rods 23, one for each floor in the building, which rods pro viderails for a series of rollers 24, mounted on'posts 25, fixed in a panel26, attached to the rear part of the car. \Vires 27 connect thepostsrespectively with a plurality of terminals 23. fixed on an arc-shapedboard 2!). attached to a panel 30, supported in the car 13. convenientto the hand of the operator. Pivot-ed on the panel 30 isa lever 31,

atltlplfifl for selective engagement with one or other of the terminals28. A wire 32 connects the lever 31 with the source of power at suchwire being passed through a push-button switch. as shown at 33, by meansof which the apparatus may be cut off from the-source of supply, ifdesired. Wires 34 connect the upper ends of the rods 23 with the motor21, while other wires 35 lead from the lower ends of said rods to saidmotor, said wires being also in circuit with the brake controldevice/20. Each of the rods 23 is divided into two parts by means ofinsulator sections 36, which form gaps in the several-rods, and cause abreak in the circuit caused by the contact therewith of the rollers Saidgaps are formed in staggered 'relation with each other, so as to conformto the several floors, as shown in Fig. 4.

The sections of said rods above the insulators are in' a circuitindependent from the sections below the same, the upper circuit beingconnected with the motor in such a manner that a contact of one of therollers 24 with one of the rods will cause the motor to operate to movethe car downwardly, and the lower sections areconnected with the motorso as to cause an upward move-- ment of the car upon the contact beingmade with said lower sections.

In startingthe elevator, the operator moves the lever 31. to a contactwith the terminal 28 corresponding with the floor at which it is desiredto have the car stop. Assuming such car to be at the first floorlanding, the contactof the lever with one of the terminals closes acircuit through the roller 24 connected therewith and the rod 23 uponwhich said roller operates. This starts the motor in a direction to movethe elevator upwardly, which movement is continued until the rollerandthe motor ceases to operate. Coinci dently therewith the brake isset, and the elevator stopped. For example, if a connection has beenmade with the rod 23 at the extreme left in Fig. 4 the elevator will becarried to the eighth floor, and by making a connection with the rod atthe extreme right it will move downwardly again to the lower fioor. Therod for the uppermost floor has arelatively long insulated section 37 atits upper end. and the rod for the first floor has a similar insulatedsection at its lower end. By this arrangement there is no danger of theelevator being carried beyond the'given point upwardly or downwardly.After a certain floor has been selected for the car to stop at. a changecan be made to any other floor while the car is in motion, by properoperation of the lever 31. In case of an emergency the car can bestopped at any point by moving the lever so as to be out of contact withany of the terminals. If the car has been stopped at the desired floor,and it is decided to go farther in the same direction, this isaccomplished in the same way, by a proper manipulation of the lever. Incase the momentum of the elevator carries it over the insulation whengoing in either direction the resulting contact of the roller with theother section of the rod will cause a reversal of the movement, bringingthe car to rest at the proper point.

As a matter of convenience the terminals 28 are numbered consecutively,to correspond with the numbers of the floors to be selected thereby.

The wires 27 may be passed through a conduit 39, as shown in Fig. 1,such Wires being properly insulated from each other.

What I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is:

1. A control mechanism for the electrical operating system of anelevator, arranged to move an elevator either upwardly or downwardly,comprising a series of rod conductors forming a part of said system,each provided with an insulated section, said sections arranged instaggered relation, and a plurality of contact members movable on saidrods, also connected with said system, capable of forming independentcircuits through said conductors, to be interrupted upon such contactmembers coming into engagement with said insulated sections, theconductor sections on opposite sides of said insulated sections formingindependent circuits adapted to cause a movement of the operativedevices in opposite directions.

2. In combination with an elevator, and operating devices thereof, anelectrical control system therefor, comprising a series of rodconductors, provided at staggered intervals with insulator sections,those parts of said conductors on opposite sides of the insulators beingin independent circuits, capable of causing a movement of the operatingdevices of the elevator in contrary directions, contact devices movableon said conductors, and adapted to be supported on the elevator; and aselective switch mechanism adapted for support in said elevator, andconnected with said contact members, to close a circuit in said controlsystem through one of said circuits, said circuit being broken upon thecontact member reaching the insulated section of such conductor; saidcontrol system being operatively connected with said operating devices,so as'to start the same upon a circuit being closed through one of saidconductors, and stop the same upon such circuit being broken.

3. In combination with an elevator and operative devices thereof,including a motor and brake mechanism therefor, an electrical controlsystem therefor, comprising a series of rods provided at intervals withinsulator sections, arranged in staggered relation on the several rods,the rod sections on opposite sides of the insulator sections being inindependent circuits capable of causing move ments of the operatingdevices of the elevator in contrary directions, contact devices movableon said rods, and adapted for support on the elevator, and a selectiveswitch device carried in the elevator, and connected with said contactmembers, to close a circuit in said control system through some one ofsaid-rods, said circuit being broken upon the contact member reachingthe insulated section of such rod, said control system being operativelyconnected with said operative devices, so as to start the same upon acircuit being closed through one of said rods, and coincidently releasesaid brake, and stop said operative devices upon said circuit beingagain opened, and c'o'nicidently set said brake.

4:. In a control mechanism for the operating system of an elevator, arod conductor provided with an insulated sectionintermediate its ends,the two parts of said rods being connected through independent circuitswith the operating system of the elevator, to cause a movement thereofin an upward or downward direction, as desired, a contact member movablelongitudinally of said conductor, an electrical system connecting saidcontact member with said conductor, on opposite sides of the insulatorsection, said system being normally open, and means for closing saidsystem through one or other of the ends of said conductor, at will.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature.

MORRIS C. NELSON.

